Click for Speaker Bio

Bill Culbertson

A few years ago Pollywog Pond, the early learning video game portal developed by Whooplah, was presented in a session at this conference. Since then, in 2019, the game went on to be nominated for a prestigious Kidscreen Award for Best Video Game of the Year. In 2021, Whooplah entered an agreement to produce a new children's television series with Rhode Island PBS. The series, Pollywog Pond, is based on the video game. Live puppets are brought into the game environment through CG and chroma key. The show has already garnered four international awards for creativity and setting new standards for the video industry... before the first show has even aired! This talk will discuss the evolution from game screen to broadcast screen: the challenges and issues met. We will also look at how the show and game content are linked and updated to providing a transmedia educational resource for learning concepts. Plus, it's puppets... it's fun.

Attendee Benefits

Attendees will gain insight into the planning and implementation of learning concepts across multiple platforms (video game, video, music, print and toys). A cross-platform or transmedia approach can be used to achieve learning outcomes through introduction, reinforcement and mastery.